Kenneth Ma Lacks Ambition in Winning TV King Award
Kenneth Ma’s (馬國明) efforts culminated to a breakthrough in his career this year. His popularity surged dramatically after portraying doctor, Cheung Yat Kin, in The Hippocratic Crush <On Call 36小時>. Kenneth’s performance made him a dark horse in this year’s TVB Best Actor race and earned him a nomination for My Favorite Male Character award.
No Ambition to Win TV King
The ever-practical Kenneth said that he retains a competitive spirit towards the TVB Anniversary Awards, but does not have ambition in winning TV King this year. He noted that there are many contenders for TV King this year, such as Moses Chan (陳豪), Raymond Lam (林峯), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), and Damian Lau (劉松仁) each with their own share of supporters.
“There are many possible outcomes for this year’s TV King. The hot favorite may not definitely win. Since this is the first year that the TV King is voted by the audiences, there are many unknown factors. I do not lack complete confidence, it is just that I do not have great ambitions. I will still have opportunities in the future, such as next year’s Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II>, Season of Love <戀愛季節>, and Cold Mountain, Hidden Dragon <寒山潛龍>. I will do my best to portray my roles and not loosen my efforts. I have a competitive spirit and will take initiative at times, without waiting at the same spot all the time. However, I have to let TVB arrange some matters and cannot leap to heaven in one single step.”
Kenneth felt embarrassed to campaign for himself. He felt that if the audience liked him, they will vote for him without his need to pull votes for himself. If he does win the My Favorite Male Character award for The Hippocratic Crush, Kenneth will be very happy.
Kenneth Reveals Spoilers in “Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles”
When he spoke of his favorite scenes in Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles <名媛望族>, Kenneth was full of excitement. “I like the scene where I beg my mother, Mary Hon (韓瑪利) to allow me to marry Rebecca Zhu (朱晨麗). I do not wish to follow the footsteps of my father, Damian Lau (劉松仁) and want to marry the person I love instead.”
Although the 4oth episode of Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles will not be aired until December 14, Kenneth revealed that the love triangle between Rebecca, Ron Ng (吳卓羲), and himself will have a tragic ending. After marrying Kenneth, Rebecca will have an affair with her first love, Ron. Each person will go their separate paths. “We each put in immense efforts to portray the love triangle and hope that the audience will enjoy watching the drama,” Kenneth said.
Admires Damian Lau
With his excellent acting and team player attitude, Damian Lau (劉松仁) is an actor that Kenneth admires greatly. “I wish I can ask Damian to become my sifu, but I know he doesn’t take any students.”
Following In the Chamber of Bliss <蔡鍔與小鳳仙>, Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles is the second time that Kenneth has partnered with Damian. TVB’s resources were severely challenged after the resignation of many scriptwriters during the filming of Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles. Due to Damian’s knowledge of Hong Kong under British rule in the 1930s, he helped edit the historical details but did not revise the script, as previously reported. Despite the filming obstacles, the cast was very united and portrayed their chemistry onscreen.
“Damian said that it is rare to encounter such challenging filming circumstances once again. So we will not mind the ratings results, as long as we all enjoyed the filming process.”
Like Damian Lau, Kenneth Ma is an actor that enjoys the acting process more than winning awards. While Kenneth feels that this year may not be his year to win TV King, his passion for acting remains unchanged. Kenneth will continue to be a pillar in TVB dramas for years to come.
Source: Ming Pao via ihktv.com
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I like him ^_^
Me too. Humble, down-to-earth, and doesn’t lose his head with his growing media and public attention. Looking forward to seeing his performances in future series. He’ll definitely receive Best Actor sooner or later.
I wouldn’t call Kenneth a dark horse since he and Raymond are technically the only competitors
dont forget Wayne lai!
Wayne got twice already…let other has a chance la…he does not need it to prove anything…that what he said
Nope, LF vs Wayne 😀 is the real game of Txb, and LF vs Bosco is the game of popularity.
I believe Damian does not care about the awards, but everyone cares about ratings. Kenneth lacks ambition, probably because he has a pragmatic mind. He knows how it works in TVB. I’m not even sure they will give him My Favourite, because a double-wham will look better for LF. OTOH, LF has won My Favourite twice (?) before, so it won’t be a loss for him not go get it too and it will comfort Kenneth.
How about Wayne? He signed 2 year contract with Txb and also needs to comfort :P.
Really hope Kenneth could win atleast one award!!
Yes I agree with you! Kenneth has been in the industry for a long time and he hasn’t had much recognition. Unlike Raymond who has had awards in both the tv and music industry. Kenneth deserves something for his hard work and effort all these years
Hope he’ll be able to get one as well but the odds are stacked against him. He knows clearly that due to tvb politics and not being one of the favourites within the executives that he stands no chance.
Meh i still support LF to win both.
i dun mind bosco ma ming or ray for fave character
I’ll Go for Bosco lol. I made up My mind this time, and I’m gonna stuck by him:P
Mi 2. To make some actors jealous more is the main reason :P.
Smart man…making sure he gets his desired roles whenever possible. He is letting his acting do the talking to gain the recognition he deserves. In addition, he is pragmatic knowing a good role = a good payday which is much better than an award which does not carry any cash value to pay bills or feed hungry stomachs.
You realise that the awards raise their advertising value? Which means awards = more money from advertising fees… and everyone knows advertising pays far better than TVBs measly salaries.
Yes, awards may increase the actor/actress value in the company but the company gets the fees, royalties or advertising dollars which may or may not trickle down to actor/actress. I am sure you realize that the number of viewers for a particular show dictate how much advertising revenue comes into company. So if a script is well written matched with a quality actor (not necessarily having won an award) couple with a good publicity campaign, that will generate and sustain viewers pumping up the ratings. Good actors/actresses will command good money (award winner or not such as Linda Chung)
I also forgot to mention about the endorsement fees, movies deals,, mainland series etc. that they will get whether they are award winners or not as long as they are well-received by the viewing public.
When I say “advertising value” it covers all commercial aspects of an actor. I.e. I am not talking about advertising revenue that TVB gets from advertisements on their channel. Why on earth would I talk about that?!
Awards make actors more valuable – in terms of endorsement fees, and if we were talking about real celebrities – advertising fees <i<to the actor. They can command more money from awards as it is “critical acclaim” and especially in combination with the show/character being well-received role. You really think these TVB actors give a damn about the awards when they all know how rigged they are, IF it was not because it raises their fees directly?
Seeing as I don’t agree Linda Chung is a good actor… I will have to disagree that she’s commands good money due to acting acclaim. Linda has a sizable fanbase, hence her commercial value is high and therefore she commands “good money”. Linda is also a singer-actress so that raises her profile/fanbase considerably anyway.
Oh and the only reason for why Kenneth downplays his desire for winning is because he knows he has zero chances this year. Better to downplay it now, than suffer the humiliation when he loses. THAT is why I call him pragmatic.
An award means a lot of a TVB artiste. Myolie Wu’s “values” went up a lot this year in Mainland China after she got the Best Actress award, same with Kevin Cheng (though he gained his popularity first in China by his local drama series BBJS).
It depends. If an actor/actress bagged the award undeservingly, his value wouldn’t have gone up much. Eg: kevin cheng when he bagged it in 2006
@ 939393
His value probably didn’t go up long-term. That’s the difference. You have to be able to sustain your rise in fame too.
@939393: Wrong. KC’s price went up from 15k to 30k per eps with Txb after 2006 and he had leading role after that, also a movie deal (but not successful) and an album deal (also not successful) after winning as well. It’s because of all his deals after winning were failure (the movie dun have good box office, the album only can sell 8k, the mini concert can’t be full), he was demoted a bit. But he won 1 among top 10 JSG Gold song this year, so can’t say Txb dun put any efforts on him after he won.
But there is a small matter: Until now his fee is still very low. Not saying of the fee he has in Txb because Txb is wanting to promote him at max, but saying about the function fee or fee of filming in China. Lolz, the offer he had for China series was a supporting role in a small budget series 😛 with the payment of 40k/eps :P. And his function fee is even lower than Ron. He must know that if he is obedient to Txb, Txb will give him more chances, hence he is trying to act obedient now.
Never been a fan of Kenneth’s acting. All his roles he turn out to be the same.
“All his roles he turn out to be the same.” Please explain?
Same acting, perhaps?
Same gender, perhaps?
Same expression or one pose wonder perhaps?
fox: no difference than LF 😛
if a King of Robbers (tiger cubs), a doctor (THC) and a lawyer in the 1930’s (SSSS) is ‘the same’ to you then wow, i’m amazed with ur skewed logic.
Lols, Bobbie obviously hasn’t watch too many of his series.
LF acting is always same not KM
KM had so many diverse roles and each of them were performed really well. I vote for KM.
he is lucky to be given many diverse roles and starred in many grand productions compared to some other people given the same role over and over by tvb, making it hard for them to showcase their acting
I have to say I’m disappointed in Kenneth not even trying to win. It’s one thing to recognize that it most likely won’t happen but another to give up completely. Wayne thinks Raymond will likely get the most votes but he still has some optimism. Raymond is the odds on favorite, yet he still campaigns for votes. Kenneth not doing anything is kind of off putting.
Yes it may be off putting, but at least it shows he’s in this industry because he is truly passionate about his acting, and would rather crave for more versatile/desired roles rather than awards or fame.
It’s nice to see Kenneth letting nature take its path. When the time comes for him to receive the big Award, at least he’ll know it’s purely because of the audiences acceptance and appreciation of his acting rather than his included efforts of campaigning to pull votes for himself. It’d be much more meaningful that way dotcha think? 🙂
agreed!
I do not. By that logic, no politician would ever campaign for votes. People will just vote for them. It doesn’t matter how popular a politician is, none would say they don’t need to campaign because people know in their hearts he’s the better candidate. If this year was like every other without fan voting, I would agree with you. But that’s not the case. This year, it is a popularity contest and not a talent contest. It’s sad but true.
Because MM is trying to be obedient to Txb.
Just like you who specially nitpicking on him. Sure you will say he has nothing to be jealous about, then why you keep putting him down every time you get a chance to? hmm… Lola :p
With the way TVB is….as an actor/actress, they shouldn’t look into these awards too much, otherwise it will just get you all upset when you don’t win. Just look for how the audience likes you and the $$$ that will come when the audience loves you, then TVB can’t just blow you aside.
Wish all the under dogs the best!!!!!!
I guess you might as well go in with the expectation that you won’t win. Regardless of whatever tvb says abt being fair & letting th public decide it will still be rigged. And tvb doesn’t need to give Kenneth an award because he has never threatened to leave & he is so dedicated to tvb.
Make me hate TVB more and more. Dont know why Raymond can win the BA this year since his role and acting in High and Low is just so so, nothing impressive. I just think Kenneth Ma deserved more for the versatile role he can portrayed. I wish they can have other TV Station where they can be fair to actor/actress instead of giving the award to their “lucky money” Raymond because of his fan base.
agree lf his role and acting in High and Low is just so so
So why MM with “better acting” in your opinion (I don’t think so) can’t have large fanbase like the “so so acting” LF? Large fanbase means more ppl can appreciate the acting of a person than another person :P.
Thank you to the plastic surgery Lolz :p
“After marrying Kenneth, Rebecca will have an affair with her first love, Ron. Each person will go their separate paths. ”
A lazy ending.
I find Kenneth’s acting very creditable and hope he wins at an award for all his efforts. Plucky man.
Kenneth and Mary Hon was great in the scene whereby KM pleads with MH to allow him to marry Rebecca is so moving. He is modest and hope he will win an award this year
Love Ma Ming! Hope he wins!
I like that Kenneth is so humble about winning awards. No doubt that for some, money is a greater motivation but I know that if he never gives up what he loves doing, people are bound to recognize his effort and winning awards are just secondary.
He is not being humble; he just knows the game too well. He does not have any senior executives to back him up, and he does not have a huge fan base either. How can he win?
agree
If Catherine Tsang loves him too much, maybe. But Catherine Tsang still has to consider the money flow, so MM has to wait.
I disagree- Kenneth has a lot of fans too. Dun underestimate his supporters. It’s proven by the number of comments that Raymond doesn’t deserve BA but Kenneth.
Kenneth acting is better than Raymond. Go Kenneth, go Kenneth!!! Dun give up.
I <3 him… He needs to win the award this year =P
I hope Kenneth will receive Best Actor award. If TVB won’t give that to him, then they should give him “My Favorite Male Character Award.”
TVB should give Kenneth what he deserves and credits for his good performance in THC and Tigers.
I dont think he has no ambition.
He knows the industry, so no point in saying too much- as if by stating what you really want you’ll get it!!!
It’s all up to TVB & he knows that.
Ofcourse it’s up to TVB it’s called TVB awards for a reason, LOL.
I hope Kenneth Ma will get one of the awards, but I doubt it now as the Most Favourite Male award is designated for Raymond Lam, and the Best Actor award will be voted by the public.
There is an award called Professional something, maybe it’s the pork for MM.
i really do want raymond to win everything this year, just like kevin last year.
who does not want to win? of course this ma ming wants to win but knows he wont so instead of looking desperate, he acts humble and innocent to make his image look better which is a smart move but i dun buy this
Kenneth.. Dun give up, you are the best actor this year!! You did well & will definitely support Cheung Yat Kin
Who cares about Raymond’s large fanbase. How great is Raymond’s fans to “monopoly” the vote??!!
Everyone love Cheung Yat Kin more than Happy Sir:) 🙂
Not everyone. There are ppl who like Happy Sir more than Cheung Yat Kin (I guess it’s the role of MM in THC?) and there are ppl who don’t like both. Everyone is an absolute word and it can’t be used in this case.
Who cares about Raymond’s large fanbase MM cares. He said so in the article :P.
For sure that “everyone” does not include me. Happy Sir ftw! What’s so special about his role in THC anyway? No wonder he paired up with TY; they’re both boring! So how do you feel now after I bashed your favorite actor? ^.^
Lol, I think that above picture says it all.
lols it matches the title
” I will still have opportunities in the future, such as next year’s Triumph in the Skies 2 , Season of Love , and Cold Mountain, Hidden Dragon .”
Does that mean TVB has greenlighted Cold Mountain and it will definitely be filmed. That’s really good news. 😀